SYDNEY (Reuters) - More than half of Australian adults
switched off their lights in major cities on Saturday as part
of Earth Hour to raise awareness about climate change,
organizers of the event said, citing a poll.

Cities across Australia took part in Earth Hour 2008, with
iconic buildings including Sydney's Opera House and Harbour
Bridge to Melbourne's Flinders Street station switching their
lights off at 8 p.m. local time.

Around the globe, up to 30 million people were expected to
have turned off their lights for 60 minutes by the time "Earth
Hour" -- which started in Suva in Fiji and Christchurch in New
Zealand -- completed its cycle westward.

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More than 380 towns and cities and 3,500 businesses in 35
countries signed up for the campaign that is in its second year
after it began in 2007 in Sydney, Australia's largest city.

In Canada, the 1,815-foot (553-metre) CN Tower in Toronto
and the surrounding skyline were plunged into temporary
darkness. In the United States, landmarks such as San
Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge and Chicago's Sears Tower went
dark in the closing hours of the event.

In the poll of more than 3,000 Australian householders,
researchers found that 58 percent said they had at least
switched their lights off for the hour, said global
conservation group WWF, which coordinated the event.

Respondents to the poll by research consultants AMR
International were less prepared to switch off the television,
with only 30 percent doing so, although 46 percent said they
had unplugged other household appliances.

"The overwhelming support for Earth Hour from Australians
across the country has amazed us and shows the willingness of
both business and individuals to start cutting emissions," said
WWF-Australia Earth Hour Director, Andy Ridley.

"The polling only targeted people over 18 years of age and,
given the popularity of Earth Hour among kids, the actual
number of participants is likely to be much higher," he said in
a statement.